Man Guilty in Sex Assault on Woman With 46 Identities

A man was convicted Thursday of sexually assaulting a woman who doctors say has 46 personalities after he testified that she consented to sex and he learned only later that she was mentally ill.

Mark A. Peterson was convicted of second-degree sexual assault and could be sentenced to 10 years in prison. He remained free on $5,000 bond. Sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 10 and he said he will appeal.

Jurors heard psychiatrists disagree over the 27-year-old woman’s contention that she was unaware that one of her personalities--described as a fun-loving 20-year-old woman--was having sex. She said she learned of it from another personality, a girl the age of 6.

The woman had testified Wednesday that Peterson, 29, manipulated the personality prevalent at the time to have intercourse.

She summoned six different personalities to the witness stand. Four of them were sworn in individually.

Under Wisconsin law, it is a crime to have sex with people known to suffer from a mental illness that makes them incapable of understanding their conduct.